Candidates

SHERIFFby ARNO HOLSCHUH

TO SAY THAT SHERIFF DENNIS LEWIS
HAS A TOUGH FIGHT on his hands for re-election is an understatement.
He has made very few public appearances, has not been actively
soliciting support from public figures and has raised a war chest
just a fraction the size of his challenger's. Chief Deputy Gary
Philp, on the other hand, has been campaigning hard -- holding
fundraisers, garnering the support of law enforcement organizations
and exhibiting his cherubic smile to the public as often as possible.

A less charitable assessment
of the sheriff's race is that Lewis is about to be booted. How
is this happening to a man who was swept into office in 1994
and re-elected just four years ago?

Lewis came into office as an
outsider, quietly promising to clean up the mess left by outgoing
Sheriff Dave Renner, who ended up in prison for misappropriating
county funds. An investigator in the district attorney's office
at the time, Lewis had never worked in the sheriff's department
and he didn't owe anyone any favors.

Now, eight years later, that
lack of deep roots may be his undoing. Philp, a department veteran
of almost 30 years, has gathered the endorsement of all of the
county's major law enforcement organizations. Particularly poignant
is the endorsement of the Humboldt Deputy Sheriff's Organization,
a group Lewis led until his election in 1994.

Lewis isn't particularly fazed,
however. "What a candidate needs to achieve is name and
face recognition -- and I have both," he told the Journal
last week.

Technically speaking, he's right.
During his tenure, the sheriff has been one of the most visible
elected officials in county government. He was often in the spotlight,
whether it was because of his controversial decision in 1997
to daub pepper spray on the eyelids of timber protesters to facilitate
their arrest or last year when he refused a judge's order to
return confiscated medical marijuana to a patient.

What is unclear is how much
that recognition will help him. After all, his fame stems as
much from controversy as achievements.

Philp has the advantage of carrying
a lower profile through the last eight tumultuous years. This
is hardly fair -- Philp admits he was involved in the controversial
decision to use pepper spray, for example. Deputies painted a
liquid version of the burning chemical on the eyelids of protesters,
a scene that was rebroadcast for days on national television.
And Philp is a codefendant in the resulting civil case. Lewis,
however, is the lightning rod.

The sheriff's race may ultimately
be decided on intangibles --and leadership style. Lewis stands
steadfast by his record, saying he has zero regret over his pepper
spray decision, for instance. Philp said he's ready to talk publicly
once the court case is settled.

"Leadership is the key
to everything," Philp said in an interview last week. "I
think the sheriff is doing the best he can with the abilities
he possesses. But for this organization, I do not think the abilities
are strong enough."

What does leadership mean to
Philp in concrete terms? Setting new priorities in personnel
allocation with a greater emphasis on remote areas. Opening up
channels of communication to the community. Setting firm guidelines
for how much medical marijuana is too much.

Lewis said Philp is promising
leadership he can't necessarily deliver. The two have worked
together closely over the past eight years, and one aspect of
great leadership is knowing when to leave people alone, Lewis
said.

"I like to hire the best
people I can, train them as best I can and allow them to do their
job. Certainly that requires oversight, but a good investigator
requires virtually no assistance. Just sit back and let them
do their job," he said.

Lewis said he is deliberately
running a low-key campaign and not asking officers to take sides
because it is disruptive to day-to-day operations of the office.

"People are putting more
emphasis on campaign issues than work issues," he said.

He emphasizes his own work ethic
and he said he adheres to a strict separation between job and
campaign, even declining election-related phone calls made to
his office.

Does he think Philp has been
running on county time?

"No, I've been very generous
in granting his time-off requests," Lewis said.

Candidates
for Sheriff

DENNIS LEWIS

BASICS: 54,
incumbent sheriff EXPERIENCE: Sheriff since 1994; prior positions: investigator
for the district attorney, officerwith the Arcata Police
Department. SIGNATURE ISSUE: Recruitment and retention of qualified
employees, especially corrections officers. Being short-staffed
drives costs up because of overtime. Better pay in the private
sector is drawing many potential officers away, plus two deputies
have been called into service in the National Guard. OTHER ISSUES: Service to remote areas: "We
are doing better." Resident deputy position in Petrolia
is unfilled and McKinleyville facility unstaffed due to lack
of personnel. In the interim, has licensed rural residents to
carry concealed weapons for their own protection. Mistrust
of sheriff's department in Southern Humboldt: "That can
happen anywhere. I don't look to Southern Humboldt as being profoundly
different in that respect." Timber protesters: Stands
by his controversial record of handling protests against timber
harvests. Does not regret the decision to swab pepper spray onto
the eyelids of activists at a 1997 protest. "As protesters
have become more creative, we have changed our techniques as
well." Proposition 215: Gives deputies the discretion
to decide what is too much pot for medical use on a site-by-site
basis. Although the DA says 10 plants or two pounds dried marijuana,
"Plants vary and we have seen some plants that yield multiple
pounds per plant. [Sometimes one plant] is too much." ENDORSEMENTS: Not available at press time.*MONEY Raised: $5,436, $1,000 of his own
Spent: $2,170
Remaining: $3,256

GARY PHILP

BASICS: 50,
chief deputy sheriff and jail administrator.EXPERIENCE: Deputy sheriff since 1973. Jail Administrator
since 2000; chief deputy in charge of operations 1997-2000; captain
of operations bureau 1995-1997. SIGNATURE ISSUE: Leadership style. "It is essential
[to] have strong, focused and consistent leadership. It's become
obvious we don't have that kind of leadership today." How
would he be different? "Set goals and determine strategies
to do the best job we can."OTHER ISSUES: Service to remote areas: Activate
existing remote deputies wherever possible, including law enforcement
facility in McKinleyville and resident deputy post in Petrolia.
Substations in Garberville and Hoopa should each get one more
deputy. "That's where we need to focus: those outlying areas.
They need our presence the most." Mistrust of sheriff's
department in Southern Humboldt: "We need to be down there
and start talking with the community. We may not agree or share
the same point of view, but we need to discuss it." Timber
protesters: "Everyone has a constitutional right to
protest, but people have to understand that when they violate
the law, it is necessary for us to become involved." Promises
to use the least amount of force necessary to achieve compliance
with the law. Admitted involvement in pepper spray decision and
incidents in 1997, but declined further comment due to pending
litigation. Proposition 215: Suggests a firm protocol
crafted by judges, district attorney and sheriff's department
to avoid wasting resources on medical marijuana. "It doesn't
make much sense for me to spend time investigating and arresting
people [the DA] won't prosecute." ENDORSEMENTS: Humboldt Deputy Sheriffs' Organization,
Humboldt County Correctional Peace Officers' Organization, Eureka
Police Officers' Association, Humboldt-Del Norte Central Labor
Council/AFL-CIO.*MONEY Raised: $43,548
Spent: $31,132
Remaining: $12,416

DISTRICT
ATTORNEYby ARNO HOLSCHUH

PAUL GALLEGOS HAS ISSUES. THE
PRIVATE ATTORNEY and candidate for district attorney has the
medical marijuana issue, the meth issue and the issue of too
many small-time cases filling up the courts. He's using those
issues and $15,000 of his own money to mount an energetic campaign,
promising an end to the legal follies of current District Attorney
Terry Farmer.

"I don't even think those
are issues," responded Farmer, who has held his position
for nearly 20 years. His overarching theme is that these aren't
really issues at all; they're just ways of getting at a deeper
question: "Whether or not I've done the job I've been hired
to do."

According to Farmer's way of
thinking, he's has done the job well. He has the support of his
staff and supervises the prosecution of more than 1,000 felonies
and 5,000 misdemeanors every year. He said he has handled thorny
issues like medical marijuana and timber protesters as well as
anyone could.

So what are these issues? Top
on Gallegos' list is the proliferation of "garbage cases,"
small-time crimes and overcharged cases that he said are clogging
up the court system.

Garbage cases, said Gallegos,
come in two forms: Cases that would lose if actually brought
to trial and cases that are overcharged for the crimes committed.
The idea behind filing both kinds of garbage, he said, is to
get the defendant to plead guilty, netting a conviction without
having to go into court.

"Probably 95 percent of
the cases that are filed plead guilty. In fact, there are a lot
of cases that are filed on the assumption they will plead guilty,
because of the time and expense involved in defending them. But
these cases shouldn't even be filed in the first place, because
if they were challenged, they would lose," Gallegos said.
Better yet: If they weren't filed at all, it would save the county
time and money.

"The easy answer to that
is Mr. Gallegos is uninformed," Farmer said. The district
attorney said all decisions are based on what crime was committed
-- nothing else. There is no expectation at the outset that a
plea will be reached, he said.

Another area Gallegos is hitting
is medical marijuana. His line is that Farmer has set unfairly
low limits on how much pot a person can have and that police
need to stop barging into people's homes to rip up their medicinal
plants.

Here's where confusion sets
in. Farmer concedes that his limit --plants or two pounds dried
pot -- is arbitrary. But Farmer's office is not responsible for
the enforcement activities of sheriff's deputies. In fact, Sheriff
Dennis Lewis has publicly stated he won't abide by any specific
limits, preferring to let his deputies decide how much pot is
too much. Those deputies have destroyed gardens that would have
been in line with the prosecution policy. The result has been
cases Farmer has declined to prosecute.

Gallegos replied he was sure
that getting the sheriff on board was just a matter of saying
marijuana isn't high priority.

What is high priority to Gallegos?
Violent crime and hard drugs, especially methamphetamines. All
that time and energy, he said, is being wasted on garbage and
should be directed toward meth.

"I can tell you this much,
not enough is being done," he said.

But that's about as specific
as it gets. Ask him what he plans to do, and he replies, "Establish
clear-cut, obtainable goals." Like what sort of goals? "The
clear-cut goal is we have to step on this." What does stepping
on it mean? "Stepping on it means getting rid of it."
How are you going to get rid of it? "I do not have a specific
solution, but I can tell you it is something we need to solve."

Farmer responded that while
meth is a problem his office takes seriously, the next step in
the community's response would probably have to be in the form
of enhanced treatment options. "Just trying to deny people
access to drugs has been a failure. We really need to emphasize
treatment."

So much for the issues; now
for the mudslinging. Both Farmer and Gallegos have accused each
other of trying to manipulate the issue of Farmer's health. Farmer
has multiple sclerosis and uses crutches or a scooter to get
around. Gallegos has publicly said he doesn't want to make an
issue of Farmer's health; Farmer insists that Gallegos is in
fact trying to insinuate he can't do the job for health reasons.

It all started when the Times-Standard
printed the following sentence in a Dec. 13 story about Gallegos:
"Farmer, who was first elected to the office in 1982, is
now confined to a wheelchair by a medical condition and rarely
tries cases in person."

Enraged, Farmer called the late
Times-Standard reporter, David Anderson. Farmer said he believes
Gallegos wanted Anderson to raise the issue of physical ability.
Gallegos denies it.

"You don't even need arms
or legs to do this job at all," Gallegos said. "You
need a brain, a mouth and the commitment to use them. This is
just another one of these friggin' whisper campaigns."

Candidates
for District Attorney

PAUL GALLEGOS

BASICS: 39,
a private attorney. EXPERIENCE: Private practice in Eureka since 1992.THE ISSUES:Proposition 215. Favors a more "progressive"
attitude toward those who claim the right to medical marijuana.
Would raise the limit on amount allowed with doctor's recommendation
from 10 plants to 25, and believes the district attorney can
get the sheriff to fall in line with that policy. "Garbage"
cases: Claims too many small-time cases are filling up the
court system and draining resources. If taken to trial, the cases
would fail, but they never make it there because they cost too
much to defend. "They shouldn't be filed because if they
were challenged they would lose." Methamphetamines:
"Not enough was being done," but he is short on particulars
of how he would do more. Says that the district attorney needs
to concentrate on taking meth cases to trial, but admitted this
may already be happening. DA in the courtroom: Feels it
is important for a district attorney to try cases instead of
just administering the office. "I firmly believe we have
a right to expect someone getting paid $108,000 a year to make
the same sacrifices jurors make" their time. ENDORSEMENTS: Eureka Mayor Nancy Flemming; businessman
Rob Arkley and Eureka Councilmember Cherie Arkley; Arcata Councilman
Bob Ornelas; Carlos and Marilyn Benneman; Dr. D.K. Stokes.*MONEY Raised: $20,090, $15,000 of his own
Spent: $10,224
Remaining: $9,776

*As of Jan. 19

TERRY FARMER

BASICS: 57,
incumbent district attorneyEXPERIENCE: Private practice until he was elected in 1982.
THE ISSUES:Proposition 215: Worked with other
county officials to issue patient ID cards and formulated a prosecution
policy that allows patients two pounds or 10 plants. "I
fully support the philosophy behind Proposition 215," but
some want to abuse it. "Garbage" cases: Farmer
says attorneys in his office are instructed to judge each case
on its merits and act accordingly, "to charge to the results
you expect," not to overcharge just to achieve a guilty
plea."People should be found guilty of what they did."
Methamphetamines: "We devote full resources to it.
We take it very seriously." Taking resources away from marijuana
enforcement and devoting them to meth is a pipe dream, because
the county gets grant monies for pot that can't be transferred.
The fight against meth must be community-based, with law enforcement
"just one part." DA in the courtroom: Farmer
said he tried one case last year, but admitted it is rare. "When
you are in trial, that is all you should be doing.You don't have
the time to do anything else" like run the department. ENDORSEMENTS: California Attorney General Bill Lockyer,
the Humboldt Deputy Sheriff's Organization, Humboldt Women for
Shelter Executive Director Rebecca Floyd, all the investigators
and attorneys in his office and Dennis Hanson, Fortuna School
superintendent and chair of the Humboldt County Drug and Alcohol
Advisory Board. *MONEY: Raised: $8,285, $2,000 of his own
Spent: $4,099
Remaining: $4,186